All day long, I kept blaming and criticizing myself, trying to properly break free of my arrogance.
And then I started walking aimlessly, heading nowhere in particular.
It was to move around and get used to my muscles.
And, while I was at it, to get my mind straight again.
I wandered through the mountains just like I had on the first day I was born.
Night came sooner than I expected.
I still had plenty of stamina left.
So this time, instead of sleeping underground, I decided to sleep in a tree.
The reason was simple: sleeping in the dirt was uncomfortable.
While I breathed, dirt kept getting into my nose, and most of the time I’d wake up sneezing in my sleep.
And there was nothing more disgusting than having a monster step right over me.
So this time, I hid among the leaves and tried to sleep.
Well.
Whatever my intention had been.
In the end, it was an excellent choice.
“Kuuuuuuuuuuung….”
I watched a monster passing below from the tree above.
Thanks to sleeping in the tree, I was able to quickly identify its location and move as soon as I woke up.
It was a giant bear-shaped monster.
My estimate of its rank was... probably [high-rank].
Its presence was strong enough that I almost wondered if it was [low-rank], but my instincts said [high-rank].
Roughly six meters tall.
Aside from the many scars and its massive size, there didn’t seem to be anything unusual about it.
...At least, that was how it seemed.
“...Overwhelming.”
The unusual thing.
That was its brute, overwhelming power.
When it casually tapped the ground with its front paw, a shockwave erupted and the tree was ripped up by the roots and sent flying.
Was that just a light tap because it was annoyed?
I thought of the crocodile landowner.
One glancing blow had split apart several trees in its wake.
It hadn’t been weak.
That much was still true: if I’d been hit, it would have been dangerous.
But compared to this...
It wasn’t exactly a weakling, but it was definitely lacking.
The difference between serious and casual.
If it already had that much power, how vicious would it be when it put real force behind it?
That alone made it strong.
Probably even upper-middle among [high-rank], if I had to guess.
That was just a rough estimate.
I wasn’t sure.
After all, this was only the second [high-rank] monster I’d ever seen.
-Thud…
-Thud…
-Thud…
Matching the route it took, I moved stealthily through the trees with quiet steps.
...Could I take it?
The strength I estimated from it was probably just barely within my range right now.
My speed and agility were far superior.
That much was certain.
But.
Except for Vaccine Man, who had been dragon-level, its raw power was stronger than any monster I’d fought so far.
It might even be much stronger than the attack power I’d been so happy about when it hit 1100.
My instincts warned me that way.
Not only that, but given its size, shallow attacks would likely be swallowed up by its thick layer of fat.
And if it attacked me... one punch probably wouldn’t blow me apart or anything, but it definitely wouldn’t leave me unharmed.
I might be able to endure two hits.
That was it.
In a normal state, I had no confidence I could block that thing’s full force three times.
Besides, even taking one hit would almost certainly mean a fracture or rupture.
As expected. Absurd.
“…………”
But.
It’d be important to fight it.
Because killing one [high-rank] monster would definitely be more profitable than killing ten [low-rank] ones.
And my stomach didn’t have the patience to go hunting for ten of them.
And right now, too.
“...I’m hungry.”
My empty stomach howled.
Like an empty cart rattling over a bed of gravel, it jolted violently.
So.
I’m going to kill that bear.
I’m definitely going to kill it.
I’m going to eat it.
No matter what I have to do, I’m eating you today.
I decided that.
That springy-looking leg meat.
That plump-looking neck meat.
That tender-looking belly meat.
I’m definitely taking it.
Bite, tear, rip, drink, swallow.
I’d already thrown away the option of running away or giving up.
Besides, I was too hungry.
There was no way I’d be satisfied without eating that thing.
So.
I’m definitely eating you today.
[high-rank] monster, Giant Grizzly.
As the name suggested, it was a monster with a size that put ordinary bears to shame.
It stood 5.8 meters tall, about twice the size of a grizzly bear.
Its even larger frame and the scars scattered all over it gave anyone who saw it a crushing sense of pressure.
Unless they were a [high-rank] monster or a hero, no one dared challenge it.
Sometimes other [high-rank] monsters would rush it, but those who knew this monster understood that was nothing but meaningless suicide.
At the very least, in this mountain, it was an old bear that feared nothing.
The mountain’s resident ruler.
A monster that had become gentler than before, but had not dulled in the slightest.
That was this monster.
Giant Grizzly.
“...Why do I feel so cold today…?”
And yet, he couldn’t shake a strangely ominous feeling.
Weird.
It was the same forest he always passed through.
The path was the same one he always took.
The birds chirping were no different from usual.
The sound of insects in the grass was clear as ever.
There was nothing that should have made him feel uneasy.
So why?
His skin kept breaking out in goosebumps beneath his fur, and the air felt cold.
Was he afraid of something?
Me?
The mountain’s resident ruler, Giant Grizzly?
The instincts built up over a long life kept insisting that something was wrong.
“...This is bad. Maybe I should head back early today.”
That had ruined his mood, too.
He had wanted to enjoy a leisurely walk, but he decided to trust his instincts.
...Without noticing at all that it was already too late.
Just as he turned around and took a step forward.
“...Kuhng?”
“...Huh?”
He sank straight down into the ground.
Weird.
There hadn’t been anything like this a moment ago—
“Grrrrrr….”
That was when he was thinking that.
Crack!
KRAKAKAKAKAKAK!
“...Kuuuuuuuuuuung?!?”
“GRAAAAAAAH?!?”
Agony instantly bleached his mind white.
It came all at once, in a surprise attack.
Not the front paw that had sunk into the ground.
The target was his two hind legs, which he had paid relatively little attention to for the moment.
“Kuhng! Kuuuuuuuuuuung!!”
“How dare you, how dare you!!!”
What was this….
Who the hell…!
Who dared touch me!!
Roaring in fury, he yanked the front paw that had sunk into the ground right back out.
No matter who it was.
Forget about leaving here alive.
With a speed that didn’t suit his massive body, he spun around.
And then.
He slammed his fist into the ground.
That was all.
It was brutally simple, and there was no specific target to hit.
No technique, no special ability.
Only because that was the most powerful weapon he had.
KUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNG!!!
A deafening roar and violent tremor shook and tore through everything around him.
The ground nearby buckled wildly, then shattered and flipped over in huge chunks.
The earth split apart, and the plants and animals around it were blown away.
A powerful shockwave stirred up the air, and the branches of the surrounding trees swayed violently.
This was the strongest weapon possessed by the monster called Giant Grizzly.
Simple, brute force.
And the tough body that could bear it.
This attack didn’t even need to hit a target.
Just being near him while he used it was enough to take serious damage.
“...Ke, hek.”
“Kuuuuuuuuuuung….”
So it was you.
Only then did the monster that had attacked him reveal itself.
A fairly sleek-looking red lizard monster.
But its condition was a mess.
Its red scales, soaked in blood, reflected the sunlight and glittered even more brightly.
Its legs were wobbling.
It was staggering.
“........”
And yet it had attacked me, when one hit had already left it like that.
Of course, I had no intention of showing mercy.
Still, I decided to finish it in one blow.
So fast it wouldn’t even have time to feel pain.
That was the last mercy a strong one could grant a weak one.
How could I be more generous than that to a fool who dared challenge me?
Thinking that, I raised my left front paw and stretched my right front paw forward.
Feeling the muscles in my left foreleg tighten hard, I delivered its death sentence.
Goodbye.
I clenched my fist and drove a blow into the monster that was swaying and unable to keep itself upright.
...There.
That would kill it.
The ominous feeling had probably been because of this thing.
What a worthless little pest, picking a fight for no reason.
Maybe I should go back to my walk….
KWA-AAAAAAANG!!!
The earth trembled.
The trees staggered from the shockwave.
And.
In the crater carved deep by a single punch, the dust cleared away.
At its center, a mangled mass of flesh came into view.
Seeing that, Grizzly was certain of victory.
And then.
Pzzt.
His two eyes lost their light forever.
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